Machine for washing berries, vegetables, and fruits.



W. PINK.

MACHINE FOR WASHING BERRIES, VEGETABLES, AND FRUITS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 26, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

FIG .2

FIG

FIG .4

FIG .3

IN VE TOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES WILHELM FINK, or 301m, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR WASHING BERRIES, VEGETABLES, AND

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

Application filed April 26, 1911. Serial No. 623,537.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM F INK, a subject of the King of Prussia, Germany, residing at Bonn, in the Kingdom of Prussia, have invented a new and useful Machine for Washing Berries, Vegetables, and Fruits, of which the following is a specificatlon.

There have become known already different methods for washing materials which have to be carefully cleaned of sand, earth, putrid substances and other impurities. The substances separated by the water from the materials treated sink to the bottom of the tank wherein the materials are washed.

lVhen vegetables and-berries such as spinach, cabbage, mushrooms, bilberries, cranberries and the like are to be washed, it is difficult to remove the lighter impurities adhering to the same, such as the needles of firtrees, leaves and particles of leaves or of moss. They have either to be removed by hand or very strong water ie t s-have to be used, which method requires great quantities of water. The apparatus according to this invention executes this work in a simple but perfect and very economical manner. The water is automatically freed of the impurities washed off the materials treated so that it can be used repeatedly.

According to this invention the air under pressure is introduced into a certain partof the washing liquid in such a manner that the liquid adopts a bubbling motion circulating at the same time throu 11 .vertical per- V forated partitions so that t e lighter impurities which have beenremoved from the materials owing to the circulating motion are separated from the good by said partition walls.

The apparatus essentially consists of a tank which has one or more auxiliary chambers for the removed impurities separated fromthe washin reservoir by vertical fixed or movable per orated impurities which have een removed from the material to be treated being washed out of the washing room through the said partition walls to settle in the reservoir. The construction of the apparatus can further be modified'in such a manner that a small reservoir for the impurities having solid bottom and perforated side walls is placed above the air tubes serving to blow the air into the water contained in the-tank,'the impurities settling in said reservoir.

artition walls, the

According to Figs. 1 and 2 the air tubes 5 b are fixed in the wash tank a at a certain distance above the bottom of the same. At one side of the tanka the chamber a for collecting the impurities is arranged which is separated from the tank by a perforated partition-wall f. This partition-wall has at the upper parts perforations which are large enough to let pass the impurities washed off the materials treated but too small to let pass the said material. The lower part of the wall f is made of wire gauze or sheet with fine perforations which lets pass the water but retains the impurities, thus ,re-

cleaning the liquid.

The operation is as follows :After the tank a has been filled with water or with some other liquid, the material to be treated is filled in. Air under pressure, coming from the conduit 9 is uniformly distributed in the tank by means of the tubes 6 and 35 flows out through the nozzles of said tubes which are turned upward so that the water in the upper part (i of the tank is very energetically stirred. Owing to the rapid movement and to the bubbling motion of.

the' water all the impurities are removed from the material which swims in the Water; the heavy impurities such as sand and the like drop-through the horizontal perforated partition wall it into the lower compartment 2' of the tank where the water is comparatively at'rest. These substances settle in the compartment 5 to be removed from time to time through the tap in.

V The air blown in through the tubes 6 10o executes a suction act-ion upon the surrounding water and drives it upward. The water in the chamber 0, being not exposed to the direct action of the air, follows in its lower part the sucking action of the rising air and water in the basin (1 and passes'through the.

lower part of the perforated partition f into the basin (1. Besides this the level of the water in the basin it becomes higher than in the chamber 0, according to the introduction of the air, and flows in its upper part from the basin a to the chamber 0 executing thus the washing apparatus in its sim- 60 v The a circulating motion in the direction of the arrows as shown in the drawing. This circulating motion of the water continues as long as air is blown in. The lighter impurities which swim upon the water are drawn along-into the chamber a where they partially remain swimming u on the water and can be easily removed. certain part of the impurities is drawn along by the current in the chamber a and settle on the bottom of said chamber or at the wire gauze through which they cannot pass.

artition wall f is preferably removable m order to permit of an easy cleaning of the chamber a. It is evident that instead of one chamber 0 as shown in the drawing several such chambers can be provided, along the sides of the tank a.

According to Figs. 3 and 4 the reservoir for the impurities can be made separate from the tank and consist of a case Z closed at the bottom to prevent the inflow of the air under pressure and having side walls perforated at the upper parts andconsisting of fine wire gauze at the lower parts, sim1-.

lar to the partition wall f in Figs. 1 and 2. This case I is placed upon the horizontal partition wall b above the air tubes (2 and it has handles m which serve for removing it from the tank a.

I claim 1. An apparatusfor washing vegetables, berries, fruits and other substances comprising in combination a receptacle for containing the washing liquid consisting of a main compartment, means for introducing air under pressure into said main compartment to cause agitation of the liquid for removing impurities from the liquid and simultaneously imparting circulating motion, an auxiliary compartment to receive floating impurities, means for recleaning the washing liquid, and a second auxiliary compartment for receiving the heavier impurities.

2. An apparatus for washing vegetables, berries and fruit comprising in combination a tank, a horizontal perforated partition wall in said tank, air tubes below said partition wall having upwardly directed nozzles, a separate chamber at the side of said tank, a partition wall separating said chamber from said tank having perforations at its upper part which are large enough to let pass the. lighter impurities washed off the material but too smallto let pass the said material, a fine wire gauze or sieve forming the lower part of said partition wall, substantiallyas described and shown for the purpose set forth.

3. An apparatus for washing vegetables, berries and fruit comprising in combination a tank, a horizontal perforated partition wall in said tank, air tubes below said partition wall having upwardly directed nozzles, a case closed at the bottom, the side walls of said case having perforations at their upper parts which are large enough to let pass the lighter impurities washed off the material but too small to let pass the said material, a fine wire gauze or sieve forming the lower part of said side walls, said case standing upon' said horizontal partition wall above said air tubes, sub"- stantially as described and shown and for the purpose set forth. 7

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my'name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM FINK. Witnesses:

OSWALD MuInEcKn, LOUIS VANDORY. 

